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Kupu Vanisi

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Kupu Vanisi
Birth nameOsaiasi Kupu Vanisi
Date of birth (1972-11-30) 30 November 1972 (age 51)
Place of birthNuku'alofa, Tonga
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight97 kg (15 st 4 lb)
SchoolKing's High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1994-1998 Otago 36 (20)
1999-2003 Wellington 45 (10)
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
1996-1998 Highlanders 23 (20)
1999-2003 Hurricanes 43 (5)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1999 New Zealand 1

Osaiasi Kupu Vanisi (born 30 November 1972) is a former professional rugby union footballer who played at flanker for the Highlanders and Hurricanes in the Super Rugby competition. He also made a single appearance for the All Blacks in 1999.

ALL BLACK DEBUT Friday, 11 June 1999

v New Zealand 'A' at Christchurch

aged 26 years, 193 days

[1]

(Vanisi's stats by seasons) [2]

Team Season Apps T C P DG Pts
Provincial
Otago 1994 3 - - - - -
Otago 1995 6 1 - - - 5
Otago 1996 15 1 - - - 5
Otago 1997 2 1 - - - 5
Otago 1998 6 1 - - - 5
Wellington 1999 13 - - - - -
Wellington 2000 11 - - - - -
Wellington 2001 9 - - - - -
Wellington 2002 10 2 - - - 10
Wellington 2003 2 - - - - -
- 77 6 - - - 30
Super Rugby
Highlanders 1996 9 3 - - - 15
Highlanders 1997 10 1 - - - 5
Highlanders 1998 4 - - - - -
Hurricanes 1999 11 - - - - -
Hurricanes 2000 11 - - - - -
Hurricanes 2001 1 - - - - -
Hurricanes 2002 10 1 - - - 5
Hurricanes 2003 10 - - - - -
- 66 5 - - - 25
Representative
All Blacks 1999 1 - - - - -
- 1 - - -

Playing career

[edit]

Vanisi was born in Nuku'alofa, Tonga and his father Vainikolo played for the Tongan nation team in the 1960s, but the family moved to Dunedin, New Zealand in his youth. He made his provincial debut for Otago in 1994 and was a member of the original Highlanders squad in 1996, but the presence of Josh Kronfeld - one of the dominant openside flankers in world rugby in the 1990s - severely curtailed his opportunities for both sides.

In 1999, Vanisi shifted to Wellington and the Hurricanes, where he would flourish with increased playing time. A strong debut season with the Hurricanes saw him called up to the All Blacks in 1999, where he made a single appearance in a non-test game against New Zealand A.

While he wouldn't again feature for New Zealand internationally, Vanisi continued as a regular squad member for both Wellington and the Hurricanes through 2003, serving as a veteran mentor to rising stars like Jerry Collins and Rodney So'oialo.

He finished off his legendary career with a three-year stint in Japan before retiring.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Stats | allblacks.com". stats.allblacks.com. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Season By Season Stats for Kupu VANISI Rugby Stats By Season | Rugby Database". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
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